The Use of Streamline Simulation in Reservoir Management: Methodology and Case Studies

Abstract Because of increased speed and accuracy, 3D streamline simulation now can be used in a wide range of reservoirs. Large reservoirs with hundreds or thousands of wells, several hundred thousand grid blocks and an extensive production history always have been a challenge for finite-difference simulation. The size and complexity of these reservoirs generally have limited simulation to sections or patterns. The streamline technique enables simulation of these reservoirs by reducing the 3D domain to a series of 1D streamlines along which the fluid flow computations are performed, offering computational benefits orders of magnitude greater.. Additionally, increased accuracy is achieved by maintaining the sharp flood fronts from the displacement processes and reducing grid orientation effects. The streamline simulation results substantially have more value as a reservoir management tool when used in conjunction with traditional reservoir engineering techniques such as standard finite-difference simulators. Several case studies that highlight a variety of situations where streamline methods proved highly beneficial are presented in this paper. These studies will help the practicing reservoir engineer decide whether to apply streamline methods and the optimal timing for the application.